Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

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By Josh Rudd

Massive Texas march in solidarity with Palestine. | Fight Back! News/Prescott Hidalgo-Monroy

Austin, TX – Thousands of people from across Texas and beyond gathered in Austin on November 12 for what organizers called the largest pro-Palestine rally in Texas history.

Enormous crowds of people filled the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in support of Palestine. Some demonstrators traveled from as far as El Paso, a 577-mile journey. They all called for an immediate ceasefire and total liberation of Palestine. Estimates of the total attendance range from 20,000 to 30,000 people, and from the stage, the edges of the crowd weren’t visible on any side.

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By Jake Holtzman

Austin students stand with Palestine. | Fight Back! News/staff

Austin, TX – On Thursday, November 9, students at UT Austin held multiple Palestine solidarity actions in response to the national day of action to Shut it Down for Palestine.

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By staff

Austin, Texas stands with Palestine

Austin, TX – Over 4000 people rallied in front of the Austin State Capitol in support of Palestine on Sunday, October 29. The rally was organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC), a student organization from UT Austin, and included speakers from PSC and Jewish Voices for Peace.

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By Jake Holtzman

Event to defend the Tampa 5 in Austin, Texas. | Fight Back! News/staff

Austin, TX – Laura Rodriguez of the Tampa 5 came to the University of Texas at Austin on Tuesday, October 24, to speak about political repression, defending diversity programs and ethnic studies in schools, and the call to drop the charges on the Tampa 5.

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By staff

A thousand people marching in the street are photographed from behind. Palestinian flags wave in the wind.

Austin, TX – On Sunday, October 15, over 2000 Austinites rallied in solidarity with the people of Palestine in front of the Texas Capitol building.

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By staff

Austin students resist attacks on diversity programs.

Austin, TX – On Tuesday afternoon, September 19, a group of students gathered on Speedway and 21st Street at the University of Texas at Austin to rally in defense of campus diversity programs. Since the signing of Texas Senate Bill 17 in June, diversity, equity, and inclusion offices have been banned at public universities, and the UT administration has still not taken any action to protect diversity programs on campus.

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By Jake Holtzman

University of Texas students sit in at the Board of Regents meeting demanding th

Austin, TX – On Thursday, August 24, a group of around 13 students, workers and other members of the University of Texas (UT) community held a sit-in at the UT System Board of Regents fall semester meeting. The protesters were demanding that the board defend diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which have been under threat at public universities since the passing of Texas Senate Bill 17 in May.

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By staff

Austin, TX students demand justice for the Tampa 5.

Austin, TX – On August 9, members of Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) joined the call for nationwide protest to defend the Tampa 5, the five SDS members in Florida who were brutally attacked by police and now face trumped-up charges for protesting Ron DeSantis’ attacks on diversity in schools.

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By staff

Austin students protest affirmative action decision

Austin, TX – On July 8, ten students gathered on the steps of the Texas Capitol building to protest recent attacks on affirmative action. They protested the U.S. Supreme Court decision that race cannot be a factor in college admissions.

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By staff

Striking nurses on the picket line in Austin, TX.

Austin, TX – On Tuesday, June 27, over 200 nurses and supporters formed a picket in 100-degree weather outside of Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin. A part of the historic one-day strike of over 2000 nurses across Texas and Kansas, National Nurses United members authorized the strike by 98%.

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By staff

Texas students resist attacks on diversity programs.

Austin, TX – On Tuesday, June 27, close to a dozen students and community members gathered in front of the Texas State Capitol to speak out against Senate Bill 17, which effectively bans diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public universities in Texas. At the speakout, called by Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), students talked about the impacts of the ban on diversity programs.

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By staff

Texas students protest attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Austin, TX – On Wednesday, April 5, Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) met on Speedway at UT Austin with the Texas Students for DEI Coalition to protest recent Texas legislative and administrative attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. The rally was also called in solidarity with the Tampa 4, a group of University of South Florida SDS members currently facing felony charges after being brutalized and arrested while protesting Florida's attacks on DEI programs.

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By staff

Austin SDS action in defense of Indian Child Welfare Act.

Austin, TX – On Wednesday, March 22, members of Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) gathered on a busy street, Speedway, on the University of Texas-Austin campus to speak out against the judicial attack on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).

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By staff

Austin TX SDS marks International Women's Day.

Austin, TX – On Wednesday, March 8, around 15 students at the University of Texas at Austin rallied for International Women’s Day. The rally, called by Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), was held in front of the UT Tower.

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By staff

Austin SDS protests the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

Austin, TX – On Tuesday evening, November 1, a small group of students from the Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) chapter gathered in front of the Perry Castañeda Library at University of Texas at Austin campus to protest against the national “Don’t Say Gay” bill.

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By Jake Holtzman

Texas students stand up for women’s and LGBTQ rights.

Austin, TX – On Thursday evening, October 29, a group of around ten students gathered on the University of Texas at Austin campus to rally for women’s and LGBTQ rights. Led by the Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the rally focused on student demands of the UT Austin administration, calling on the university to provide free menstrual products and contraceptives in all campus bathrooms. Students are also demanding the university declare itself a sanctuary campus for trans youth in light of legislative attacks earlier this year against trans youth receiving gender-affirming care.

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By staff

Texas students fight for reproductive rights.

Austin, TX – The Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) organized a rally at the University of Texas at Austin on September 15 in defense of women's and reproductive rights, as a part of the National SDS Day of Action. About 35 students rallied at 6 p.m. at the corner of Speedway and 21st Street on UT campus. Speakers from six other organizations gave speeches condemning the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the Texas Heartbeat Act.

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By Jake Holtzman

Austin, TX protest against overturning Roe v. Wade.

Austin, TX – In the middle of thunderstorms and a tornado watch, around 200 people gathered in central Austin, May 5, for a march and rally for abortion rights called by U.T. Austin student groups, Students for a Democratic Society and the Feminist Action Project. The organizations called the protest in response to the draft opinion that suggests the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade.

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By staff

Texas students demand justice for Amir Locke

Austin, TX – On Thursday evening, February 24, students at the University of Texas at Austin gathered at a campus plaza to demand justice for Amir Locke, who was murdered by Minneapolis police earlier this month. The group held signs and chanted, “Hey hey, ho ho, these racist cops have got to go!” and “Say his name: Amir Locke.” A few passersby joined the speak-out upon hearing the chants and reading the signs.

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By Jake Holtzman

Texas students fight for abortion rights

Austin, TX – On the evening of February 1, around 15 students at the University of Texas at Austin rallied on the steps of UT Tower to speak out for abortion rights.

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